Æon Flux (2005)

There's a small part of me that is glad that Æon Flux isn't all that good, because otherwise I would have to spend a lot more time on the internet shouting (metaphorically) at people who have yet to recognise the greatness of Karyn Kusama. She's the director here, and this is the only movie I have seen from her that I haven't liked. And even with it being such a messy failure, I cannot bring myself to truly hate it.

Charlize Theron is the lead, playing the titular character. It's the future. People tend to generally be happy. But there's something amiss, which is why a group of rebels are trying to overthrow the government. Flux is an assassin in that group of rebels, and she may be the one person with the key to unlock everything. Obviously.

Only the second feature film from Kusama, working with writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (who would both do much better work collaborating on her later movies), Æon Flux feels very much like what it is, a strange vision from a talented artist who then had that vision meddled with by people who had no idea what to really do with it. The main plot is simple enough to allow Kusama to take pleasure in the small details of the world depicted onscreen, but all of that potential pleasure is ruined by the absolute mess elsewhere. It's hard to care about any of the main characters, most of the action scenes are edited clumsily, at best, and none of the quirky humour can land while viewers are distracted by, well, everything else.

Theron is as good here, overall, as she usually is. I mean she's definitely a movie star, and this is a star vehicle, but it's hard to judge her performance while also considering what she's given to work with, and how everything was then edited. Marton Csokas and Jonny Lee Miller are key figures in the government, and Miller at least gets to have some more fun than the majority of the cast. Sophie Okonedo has to stay pretty straight-faced while portraying another rebel who has had hands grafted on to where her feet used to be, and both Frances McDormand and Pete Postlethwaite are given roles that very much waste their talents. Nobody else is worth mentioning, apart from Paterson Joseph, but that's only because I like Paterson Joseph so much.

Having not seen any of the original animated series that first introduced viewers to this character, I cannot say how this compares to that (although I am going to assume that it wouldn't be a favourable comparison). All I can go on is the final result, what we got on our screens. If it wasn't for Theron, it's hard to see how this would appeal to anyone. Look a bit harder, however, and there are fleeting moments that can help to make this more bearable. And it's definitely a film I would love to see in a director's cut form.
4/10

There's a disc available here.
Americans can buy it here.

Destroyer (2018)

Karyn Kasuma may actually be one of my favourite female directors. She's managed it quite stealthily, and not without a mis-step here and there, but when I look over her filmography and realise how much I like the films that I have seen from her then I realise that I should be bringing her name up a bit more often. I may not have liked The Invitation quite as much as many other people but I DID like it, and the fact that I still rate Jennifer's Body highly helps to make up for that.

I could say something similar about Nicole Kidman, who has spent the past couple of decades building up a very interesting body of work. The fact that she wasn't right for a few of the roles that she took on meant that I perhaps dismissed her filmography as nothing more than a series of bad calls and bad movies. That's not the case at all, and Destroyer, a film that may once have been considered yet another mis-step for her (by me anyway), reinforces the fact that Kidman is, and has almost always been, an actress willing to take risks as she works with challenging material.

Kidman is Erin Bell, a detective who has been burnt out for a number of years after an undercover job went horribly wrong, although we're not exactly sure how until the movie is ready to reveal everything. She believes that a major baddie (played by Toby Kebbell) is back in town, needing stopped, and she'll do anything to make that happen. Meanwhile, her daughter (played by Jade Pettyjohn) seems to hate her guts, her partner (Shamier Anderson) is constantly kept in the dark, and her world is contracting around her as she focuses obsessively on exorcising past demons and getting the result that she wants.

If you read that and just found it to seem like a whole lot of familiar clichés then I couldn't say you were wrong. There's a lot here that we've seen many times before, usually with a male character at the heart of everything. The burnt-out cop who doesn't play by the rules, the tragic past that created their attitude in the present, the personal stakes when it comes to dealing with the villain, writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi are unafraid to use these elements liberally, relying on some other twists and turns to keep things feeling fresh, as well as the strength of the cast.

And what strength the cast show. Kidman is almost unrecognisable during her first few scenes, and it's not just the impressive make-up changing her. The physical side of her performance, her mindset affecting everything from her walk to her dead-eyed observance of the hazy world around her, ensures that there are very few moments that have you watching and thinking of her as anything other than Erin Bell. The version of Kidman we all know really disappears, and this may be her best performance yet (although I am now keen to catch up on the rest of her filmography). Sebastian Stan is also excellent, playing the other officer involved in the undercover operation, and there are solid turns from Tatiana Maslany, Scoot McNairy, Beau Knapp, Bradley Whitford, Zach Villa, and others. It's a shame that the one performance that doesn't feel right is Kebbell, playing someone who swaggers around like the lead singer of a big-haired '80s metal band, and shown to be charismatic and persuasive without anything to actually show why people view him that way. The fault there doesn't lie with Kebbell, it's an issue with the script and direction, but any scenes that have him as the focal point suffer when they should have been clear highlights.

One or two minor issues aside, like the one just mentioned, Kusama directs with confidence and a precision that isn't always obvious, considering the many flashbacks used to detail the story and the many secondary characters who are only integral to the story due to them being integral to the lead character getting closer and closer to her desired end result, but it is always there. Viewers know that there's not necessarily going to be a happy ending here, yet the finale remains both impactful and satisfying. Great work from Kusama, a consistent talent and a name that everyone should be, or become, familiar with.

8/10

The DVD link is here.
Americans can use this link for a shiny blu.

Netflix And Chill: XX (2017)

A horror anthology movie written and directed by women, hence the title (the two sex chromosomes that females typically have), XX is a film that I had heard a lot of negative talk about, so viewed with a small amount of trepidation. Thankfully, I enjoyed it a lot more than some other people. None of the segments are new favourites, but none are complete stinkers either.

There's an odd, and oddly enjoyable, wraparound that involves somelovely and dark animation, and the main stories are as follows: The Box (w/d: Jovanka Vuckovic, based on a story by Jack Ketchum) is all about a stranger who carries a box that a young boy looks inside, The Birthday Cake (d: Annie Clark, co-written with Roxanne Benjamin) is about a stressed mother trying to keep everything perfect for her young daughter's birthday party, Don't Fall (w/d: Roxanne Benjamin) is about a camper trip that goes awry, and Her Only Living Son (w/d: Karyn Kusama) is about a mother struggling to watch her son change as he approaches his eighteenth birthday.

Without meaning to offend the talented women working here, it's impressive that XX was put together with so many names that didn't have much of a proven track record, in terms of directed projects. Kusama has the most experience, which is perhaps why she has the tale that takes up the most breathing space, and Benjamin had a hand in the most excellent Southbound, but Vuckovic has only a handful of (admittedly well-received) shorts to her name, and this was the first directorial outing for Clark. There's enough consistency here, however, that you wouldn't really know who was newer to their role and who had been doing directorial work for years. It's an impressive selection of tales, handled well, and good to showcase the skills of everyone involved.

Considering the fact that three of the tales revolve around caring for children, and the third has some sibling dynamics between a brother and sister that will feel familiar to many, you can see that this is a film with, perhaps, a different look at things than the standard male gaze. It's a horror anthology, first and foremost, however, and the choices and style serve that, with plenty to chew on after the film is over for those wanting to consider how different this could have been if it wasn't also a chance to put women together and let them take an opportunity more often afforded to men.

Every tale is well-served by a talented cast. The biggest name is Melanie Lynskey, who elevates "The Birthday Cake" far above what it otherwise would have been, but everyone does a great job, with other highlights including the performances from Natalie Brown in "The Box" and that of Christina Kirk in "Her Only Living Son". Nobody really stands out in "Don't Fall", but that's simply down to the material being much more visceral and less focused on strong family bonds.

Viewed as a project that temporarily pushes women to the fore in the horror genre, this is a great success. But, and more importantly for any viewer who just stumbles across the film and decides to give it a go, it is a decent anthology movie for those who enjoy the form.

7/10

XX can be bought here.
Americans can buy it here.

Netflix And Chill: The Invitation (2015)

I really need to check out the other titles in the filmography of director Karyn Kusama. Having only seen Jennifer's Body and this one, for now, I seem to quite enjoy her work. Neither of her two films that have passed before my eyes have been perfect but, arguably more importantly, they have been interesting and entertaining.

The Invitation concerns a man (Will, played by Logan Marshall-Green) who heads to a dinner party with his current girlfriend (Kira, played by Emayatzy Corinealdi). The party is being hosted by Eden (Tammy Blanchard) and David (Michiel Huisman). That wouldn't seem to be a premise loaded with tension unease except for the fact that Eden and Will used to be married. Something bad happened to cause them to tear apart from one another. Is the party a reconciliation, or can the events of their past not be overcome so easily?

The main strengths of The Invitation are the lead performances and the script, although Kusama directs with a sure hand, showing great restraint until a finale that tips viewers into, well, something else altogether. The shot choice and visual style helps to emphasise the strange, slightly disorientating, atmosphere of the party, and the affected mindset of a number of the guests who view the events unfolding around them with bewilderment.

Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi are probably better known for their work in the comedy genre but this script shows that they should be able to do more than feed lines to Kevin Hart and Ice Cube (and others). Their work here is effective and efficient, teasing out background details and providing enough highlights throughout to keep viewers from feeling too frustrated or bored as the film takes time to build towards a satisfying conclusion. Yes, some of the plot points are a bit harder to swallow, such as the video that the hosts decide to play for their guests and the house feeling far too tightly locked up for what is supposed to be a relaxed dinner party, but these things are also addressed by other characters in the film. They are odd but viewers have to start wondering how much oddness they would tolerate if they were in the same situation.

Marshall-Green is very good in the lead role, easy to like and sympathise with as he wavers between politeness and lashing out at more disturbing elements of the evening. Corinealdi is equally good, shining in a supporting role that could have easily seen her almost immediately relegated to the background of every scene. She may not be front and centre but she's always there to support her partner, and that stops her from being forgotten as the film goes on. Blanchard and Huisman have a few more quirks to play with, and they both do well to avoid eye-rolling overacting, and John Carroll Lynch is worth mentioning for his small, but vital, role in the proceedings. He gives his usual dependable level of work.

One to watch before you hear or read too much about it, which is my excuse for this review perhaps not being on a par with some of my other reviews (who am I trying to kid, I know I always write crap), The Invitation is a solid thriller that leads you step by step to somewhere you probably won't expect to end up. And that's no bad thing.

7/10

There's A blu ray available here.
Americans can pick it up here.

Jennifer's Body (2009)

Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried star in this hip comedy horror directed by Karyn Kusama from a script by Diablo "writer of Juno" Cody. I think every review of this movie has to mention the fact that Diablo "writer of Juno" Cody was the writer of Juno. This fact may help people decide whether they are going to like or dislike Jennifer's Body because it certainly contains a lot of the highly stylised teenspeak that Diablo peppered throughout her most famous script (to date, anyway).

The plot sees Jennifer (Fox) and her unlikely, and slightly geeky, best friend Needy (Seyfried) attending a rock gig featuring a band with a lead singer (Adam Brody) that Jennifer would like to get to know a lot better. But when a fire burns down the venue things go speedily downhill and Needy simply looks on as Jennifer is taken away in the rock group's van to who knows where. The next day it seems that all is well, weirdly so, but something is different about Jennifer - she's now possessed and likes to terrorise and eat her fellow schoolmates. This causes some understandable friction between the two pals, and as the rift widens it's Needy who starts to uncover the truth behind the recent spate of deaths in town.

A lot of people have had the knives out already due to the lead role being played here by Megan Fox, an attractive girl most associated with the large battling robots of the Transformers movies. But it's with performances like this one and her turn in How To Lose Friends And Alienate People that she proves she's more than just a pretty face. Seyfried is a great asset as the best friend who has to face some difficult decisions and none of the other young actors let themselves down in any way. There really aren't too many older stars given much time but J.K. Simmons stands out in his small, fun role.

Stylistically, the movie reminded me very much of Heathers and also Mean Girls in its skewing of high school hierarchy and the twisting of the stereotypical teen roles. As mentioned before, those who do not like the kind of teenspeak used in Juno, etc. may find the whole thing a bit jarring to the ears but the blend of scares, tension and smart one-liners (my personal favourite being a great "Rocky Horror" gag) should please those who dig the movie's overall vibe.

7/10 

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